NZ Asian Lawyers sets up panel to support courts

New Zealand Asian Lawyers has established a panel aimed at supporting the courts in cases of wider public interest involving Asian parties.

The panel is composed of Mai Chen (president of New Zealand Asian Lawyers), Yvonne Mortimer-Wang (Britomart Chambers), Augustine Choi (Bankside Chambers), David Liu (Heritage Law) and Arthur Loo (Loo & Koo).

“Many Asian Lawyers have expertise in the law and litigation, as well as understanding the culture and language of the Asian parties. It is vital that we can use this knowledge to provide assistance to the court where the court considers that helpful”, Chen said.

As per the panel’s recommendation, the organisation will consider applying to intervene in matters that satisfy the following criteria:

• cases that touch on public policy issues or are of general public importance in that the result carries significance to the public beyond the parties involved
• cases that present an opportunity for legal development, which could involve revising established positions or exploring new issues not tested or resolved by senior courts. Potential revisions include substantive, procedural, or evidential changes in the law
• cases in which New Zealand Asian Lawyers can enhance the quality of the information provided to the court through its specialist expertise, such as in relation to culturally and linguistically diverse parties
• cases where the outcome might directly or indirectly affect New Zealand Asian Lawyers, its members, or members’ clients.
• cases in which New Zealand Asian Lawyers can offer a distinct perspective from the parties involved
• cases where a court requests New Zealand Asian Lawyers to intervene

Initially, the support will be directed towards cases in the senior courts. The panel’s goal is to intervene in at least one case this year.

“We hope the establishment of this panel will lead to a more informed understanding of important issues concerning Asian parties in the public interest”, Chen said.